


eddie kaspbrak takes a stand

by eg1701



Series: 90s reddie for the soul [6]
Category: IT (1990)
Genre: Abusive Sonia Kaspbrak, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Gaslighting, HIV/AIDS mention, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Light Angst, M/M, Sonia Kaspbrak Being Terrible, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, am i projecting slightly? that's a secret i'll never tell, i just love eddie a lot and i want good things for him, very much so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25410034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eg1701/pseuds/eg1701
Summary: Eddie and Sonia talk on the phone sometimes.It never goes well.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Sonia Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: 90s reddie for the soul [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800730
Comments: 6
Kudos: 118





	eddie kaspbrak takes a stand

**Author's Note:**

> I got irrationally angry thinking about Sonia earlier and wrote this about her being just awful.
> 
> please heed the tags! 
> 
> i don't usually write anything but fluff anymore but this wrote itself so i thought i might as well post it in this series! take care of yourselves!

In general, Sonia knew exactly when to call, so that Eddie was sure to answer, and Richie was sure not to be home. He hadn’t realized it at first, not giving his mother enough credit to figure out something like that, but after a few phone calls he was starting to figure out her pattern. Even in another state, she knew how to get the upper hand.  


She called less and less the longer he stayed away, but without fail she would call, and he would answer and get sucked into an argument with her. Richie would tell him to just hang up, not to put himself through her interrogation, but Eddie did everytime.  


He couldn’t just hang up on her.  


And this time was just the same.  


“When are you coming home?”  


“I told you,” he twisted the phone cord around his finger, “I’m not coming back there. I live here now. With Richie.”  


He shouldn’t have mentioned Richie’s name. She hated it when he did that, but he was working on standing up to her.  


On standing up for himself.  


“That man’s no good. I don’t understand why you can’t see it. I’d have thought I taught you better. You need to come home and let me take care of you.”  


“No, Ma, this is my home now. I’m not coming back to New York. Ok? I’m an adult.”  


“You’re breaking my heart Eddie. Your dad left me and all I had was you and now you’re going to leave me too?”  


“It’s not my fault Dad died, and it’s not me leaving you. I’m happy to come see you but you can’t treat me like a little kid and you can’t talk badly about Richie.”  


“You know what they say about Hollywood? In the papers? All my friends? That they’re all a bunch of queers.”  


“I don’t want to hear that. I’ve told you not to talk like that.”  


“You need to hear it. Don’t you read the papers? They’ve all got AIDS. You need to get out of there before he gives it to you. Assuming you haven’t already got it.”  


“That’s really enough. I don’t want to hear things like that. It’s not true and it’s very biogted of you to assume stuff like that.”  


“It’s true! I could tell when he was here, the way he looked at you. It was perverted Eddie. He wants to make you like him, but it’s alright now, because I’m going to help you.”  


“I’m an adult. I’m not twelve anymore. I can judge for myself who I would like to be around. I told you before that I love Richie very much.”  


“He’s really gotten to you hadn’t he?”  


“I’d ask you not to pry into that. Richie and I are both adults and we can make our own decisions.”  


“I should have guessed he’d really gotten a hold of you. No wonder you refuse to come back. He’s changed you.”  


“I’ve always been-”  


“Don’t you say that. We both know that’s not true.”  


“But it _is_ true. I’m sorry you don’t want to see it. You don’t get to have a say in what I do, not anymore.”  


She did what Eddie knew was a fake sob and he rolled his eyes. He used to think it was real.  


“Quit that Ma,” he said, “You’re not crying.”  


“I am. You’re making me cry. Don’t you understand?”  


“You’re not crying. And you’re an adult as well. It’s better this way.”  


“You don’t want me to be a mother to you, that’s what this is. Is that what you want?”  


“You’re the one who tells me every time we talk that you never want to see me again if I’m still with Richie.”  


“Don’t say it like that. You’re not _with_ him.”  


“You’re going to have to accept it. You don’t have to be alright with it, but you have to accept that this is what’s happening.”  


“No, you’ve been, I don’t know, brainwashed or something. It happened to the son of a friend of mine.”  


“That’s not true. I’ve told you. I’m happy here.”  


“That’s what you think. You were happy here weren’t you?”  


“I’m not arguing this with you. Look, I told you I’m happy to schedule phone calls with you, or to come see you. You can even come visit us here. There’s plenty of room. Maybe for Christmas? I think you’d like LA. We’re so close to the beach.”  


“Good Lord no. Do you really think I’d come out there? That I’d condone this?”  


“See? You’re the one making it so we can’t be mother and son. It’s not me. I’m trying and you’re not. Richie’s my family too now. We’re- well, one day Ma, when we can, we’re going to get married.”  


“Don’t say that! That’s never going to happen and I don’t want to hear you say something like that ever again.”  


“It’s true. We are. You think Richie’s tricked me into something but that’s not true. I love him. Maybe like you loved Dad when you were young.”  


“It’s nothing like that. I will hang up this phone right now if you keep talking like that.”  


“I’m telling you the truth, you just don’t like what you’re hearing.”  


“You listen to me right now,” she took on a quieter tone, one that, once upon a time, would have had Eddie scared out of his mind of how much trouble he was in. But he wasn’t under her roof now. She was across the country, and if he didn’t want to, he never had to see her again. But his heart still sped up, an old reaction he supposed, “I am your mother. I have given up everything for you since you were born. I kept you safe from the things that would hurt you and that’s what I’m doing now.”  


“What things? Gym class? My friends? I never had asthma and you know it.”  


“You do. And those friends were no good for you. What kind of girl ran around with all boys? And I was right. You should have dropped them when I told you. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”  


“Ma, even if I wasn’t with Richie I would still be-”  


“Don’t you dare say it. No son of mine. I know it’s not you Eddie dear, it’s him that’s got you thinking this way. It’s not normal but we can work through it.”  


“Don’t you want me to be happy? I’m your son.”  


“This isn’t happiness. This is delusion. It’s, well, it’s like another one of your sicknesses, but we can fix it. I can fix it.”  


“I don’t need to be _fixed_. I have never needed you to fix me, and I especially don’t need it now. There’s nothing wrong with me.”  


“You’re really lost aren’t you? It makes me so sad.”  


“I’m hanging up. You’ve done nothing but insult Richie and me for the past ten minutes and I don’t know why you even called if that’s what you were going to do.”  


“I called because I love you and I thought you loved me.”  


“Maybe if you just gave Richie a chance. He’s really wonderful and he’s funny. You said so yourself when we saw him on TV before. You think he’s funny.”  


“That was before I knew what he was. Though I probably should have been able to tell.”  


“He’s great. He’s kind and he takes care of me. I think you just should try and give him a chance. You’ll like him.”  


“Absolutely not.”  


“What if he was a woman? Wouldn’t you want to meet him then? You were always picking out daughters of your friends and girls at church that you liked for me. You wanted me to find a nice girl and settle down. Why is this so different?”  


“That doesn’t matter. Besides, you’re probably already sick and you just don’t want to tell me. You probably let him do all kinds of things to you.”  


“What I do is none of your concern. I’m an adult.”  


“You aren’t behaving like one.”  


“No I am. You’re just not used to it. You’re used to me acting like I did when I was a kid because I didn’t know any other way to behave around you. You’ve controlled every aspect of my life for forty years. I’m not giving this up.”  


“I’m hanging up now. You’re being rude and impossible. Call me when you’ve decided to listen.”  


“Goodbye then.”  


“Do you know how embarrassing it is, when people ask where you’ve gone. I have to come up with an acceptable excuse. I have to lie.”  


“I’m sorry you feel like you need to lie to your friends. But that’s your choice. I’m not ashamed of myself.”  


“Well I am ashamed enough for both of us. I’m so disappointed in you.”  


“I’m sorry you feel this way. Goodbye. I’m sure you’ll call again in a few weeks and try again. I'll try again then too.  


“Sorry for caring about you.”  


“Goodbye.”  


With that he hung up, hand shaking slightly. He knew Richie was right, and he shouldn’t get into arguments with her. She wouldn’t listen to him and probably never would. He should tell her he was fine, inquire after her health, decide if she was being truthful then hang up.  


But he never would.  


He stood there for a moment, leaning against the wall, hoping his hands would stop shaking so much. He hated how upset she could make him.  


He heard the garage door open and close, heard Richie call from the hallway ("Edward my darling, I'm home" in his stupid posh voice), and smiled.  


“You’re just in time,” Eddie said, when Richie sauntered into the kitchen, “I just got off the phone with my mother.”  


“I timed it perfectly then. How’d it go?”  


Eddie shook his head, and sighed. Frowning, Richie came over, and wrapped his arms around him. Eddie sank into him, relaxing a bit. Richie was cold from the windy day outside, but it was grounding in a way.  


“Didn’t go so well I guess.”  


Eddie shook his head, “She’s not happy with me.”  


“It’s ‘cause you let a handsome rouge like me steal you away to his far away kingdom of Los Angeles.”  


Eddie laughed weakly, “I told her that maybe we could try and see each other. I said she could come here for Christmas maybe. That we had the room..”  


“Of course she could,” Richie replied, which hadn’t been the response Eddie had expected. Sonia and Richie held a deep seated distaste for each other, one that grew stronger by the day and increased exponentially after each phone call, “If she wanted to. She’s your mother. She'd be welcome here if she wanted to spend Christmas with you.”  


“She doesn’t,” Eddie said, “Don’t worry. She thinks you’re a pervert who’s brainwashed me and is holding me against my will.”  


“You’re not gonna change her mind Eds. You never will. I don’t know why you even bother.”  


“We killed an evil clown that takes the form of our childhood fears,” Eddie said, “And I can’t even tell my mother to go to hell when she insults the love of my life? I mean, what’s wrong with me.”  


“Oh Spaghetti Man,” Richie said quietly, “Nothing’s wrong with you. She’s your mother. You want her to be happy for you.”  


“I thought _I_ was the relationship expert in this house.”  


Richie laughed, “I started listening to the talk shows I’m on after you said you watch them. Sometimes they have pretty solid advice. And look, I know you want her approval but you’re not going to get it. Are you happy here? Cause if you’re not-”  


“Of course I am. I love you. I was so stupid I told her we were going to get married. One day.”  


Richie whistled, impressed, “I bet that went over like a lead balloon.”  


“Pretty much. I don’t even know why I said it. But she’s been wanting me to get married for a while, but only to someone she liked.”  


“I’m not on the approved list?”  


“Not quite.”  


“I didn’t think so. I’m sorry you had to put up with it.”  


“It’s alright honey,” Eddie said, “I think I just have to deal with her on my own.”  


“What can I do?”  


“I think I’d just like it if we could stay like this for a bit.”  


“Well that’s easy. I think even I can do that.”

**Author's Note:**

> i promise the next one will be fluffy lol.


End file.
